Cooper: It felt great
- Mike Cooper reflected on his return to action in Wigan Warriors’ Betfred Super League win over Castleford Tigers.
- Cooper: “It felt great. It was good to get 25 minutes in to put myself in contention for next week.”
- Watch post-match reaction with Matt Peet and Mike Cooper on Wigan TV HERE.
Mike Cooper expressed his delight in returning from a knee injury to help the warriors defeat Castleford Tigers 36-14 at the DW Stadium.
The prop forward, who has been out of action since the Betfred World Club Challenge victory over Penrith Panthers, came off the interchange bench in the first half against the Tigers on Friday night.
On returning, Cooper said: “It felt great. It’s been tough as I’d put so much work in building up to the World Club Challenge before going straight back to square one for a little bit. It was good to get 25 minutes in to put myself in contention for next week.”
Reflecting on the victory, Cooper said: “It was a tough but that’s credit to Castleford for bouncing back from last week. It didn’t all go our way and we weren’t as happy as we’d have liked to have been at half time, although we reacted well to get the job done.”
Speaking on the Warriors’ preparations ahead of the clash, Cooper added: “It’s tough when you play the same team back-to-back but we just focused on ourselves as we always do. We knew Castleford would come improved from last week and they were pretty good in the way that they tested us.”
On the Women’s history-making first match at the DW Stadium prior the Men’s win, Cooper said: “I watched around 10 to 15 minutes and it’s great seeing the Women’s game growing. It was great seeing the supporters come out early to watch the game which is important as we are all one Club.”
Looking ahead to the Warriors next clash against Hull KR, Cooper said: “We will look to be on the front foot from the off so our start to the game will be really important. It will be a tough test but we need to make sure that we focus on ourselves to put in our best performance.”
Tickets for Wigan’s Betfred Super League Round 9 clash against Hull KR at Sewell Craven Park on Friday 26 April remain on general sale. Tickets can be purchased from the DW Stadium Ticket Office or online HERE.
Mike Cooper is sponsored by MA Brickworks
